Playing tennis has some great benefits. It allows you to enjoy yourself while building up your strength and cardiovascular fitness. However, it can be daunting to get started. Luckily, we have filled this article with information about how many lessons you will need to get started and get better.
The number of tennis lessons you will need ranges from two to three classes a year to one on most days for years. It depends on what level you want to play. For casual players, you will need less. People who want to go pro will have to take many more lessons and make sacrifices to accomplish their goals.
Now that you know how many lessons you may need, this article will detail what is required to move up levels, how much those lessons will cost, and what to bring when you go to your first lesson. We will also discuss how often you should play tennis, how often a child should play, and other questions related to this topic.
How Often Should I Do Tennis Lessons?
When you start, you will want to take one lesson every week for a year, which adds up to between 5o to 52 classes a year. Depending on your progress in these lessons, your instructor may tell you to take on more or fewer lessons. For people who are doing poorly, your coach may recommend moving to two or three classes weekly.
For people who don't care about improving to any level and are just playing extremely casually, you may only need two to three lessons a year. However, this route will take a while to learn the actual concept of the game.
If all you want is to get to an intermediate level, you won't need to take lessons very long. A year is recommended to learn the basics of the game.
However, suppose your ultimate goal is to play in a professional league eventually. In that case, you will need lessons multiple times a week for seven or eight years, maybe longer if you have a difficult time learning the game. Going professional requires constant dedication to the game.
How Long Does It Take To Learn Tennis?
The answer to this question varies based on your natural athletic ability, how often you play, and what level you want to play. On average, it takes about a year to learn the basics of the game and around five years to rise to an intermediate level.
Someone who wants to play in tournaments can take between five to ten years to become skilled enough to compete. However, it can take significantly longer to perfect technique and be a serious contender for more ambitious players who want to play at a college level or go pro.
If you want to play professionally, it is best to have started as a child as young as five and attend a tennis-based school. At that point, you will be pretty skilled by the time you reach 12 or 13 years of age.
How Much Should Tennis Lessons Cost?
How much the tennis lessons cost is based on whether you want to take private or group lessons and what qualifications your teacher has. Lessons held at a public court will cost less than ones taken at a country club or ones run by more prestigious trainers.
According to My Tennis HQ, individual lessons can range from $20 to $150 per hour. Group lessons are cheaper and range from between $5 to $30 per person per hour.
What Should I Bring To My First Tennis Lesson?
Some of the things that you bring will depend on your personal preferences and the weather. Other things, like tennis balls and a racquet, are essential.
In your bag, you should carry:
- A water bottle for hydration.
- At least two of the same size racquet in case one breaks.
- Tennis balls should also be in your bag.
- A towel and wrist bands to help wipe up sweat.
- You want strings in case any of the strings on your racquet break.
- A few changes of socks so you can switch them out as you sweat.
- A notepad to write down notes.
You can bring optional items, like hats, sunglasses, sunscreen, chapstick, and athletic tape. Top Speed Tennis has an extremely informational video that explains what kind of tennis bag to use and what you should keep in your bag for lessons and matches.
When you go to your first lesson, you will want to be dressed appropriately and have everything you need to play the game.
What Should I Wear To My First Tennis Lesson?
If you are playing at a park or a public court, there isn't a dress code. Wear clothes you feel comfortable in and wear smooth, nonmarking shoes to prevent damaging the court. You can buy tennis clothes if you want, but they aren't necessary if you don't play very often.
However, if you decide to take lessons at a country or tennis club, they will have a dress code. Make sure to check with them to find out what you will be required to wear. Usually, you have to wear tennis clothes and tennis shoes. Workout clothes and running shoes are often banned at these places.
Guys' Tennis Clothes
For men, it is usually appropriate to wear a short-sleeved collared polo shirt and tennis shorts. At some places, you can wear other styles as long as they are specifically made for tennis.
Gals' Tennis Clothes
Proper female tennis attire usually includes a polo shirt or tank top with a skirt or dress. Lately, it has become more acceptable for women to wear shorts. A lot of female players now wear compression shorts under their skirts.
If you need help finding some tennis shoes, check out the options below.
Click here to check these tennis shoes out on Amazon.
Adidas Men's Grand Court tennis shoes are highly recommended. They are also extremely comfortable because of the way their midsole is designed.
To see Adidas' female option of the Grand Court shoe on Amazon, click here.
The Adidas Women's Grand Court Sneaker is durable and comfortable.
How Often Should I Play Tennis?
In addition to lessons, you must get practice playing the game. When you first start out, you should aim to play tennis three to four times a week. These sessions should last about an hour each.
If you can only go two times a week, make your sessions longer, ranging from one and a half to two hours. It is better to do more, shorter sessions a week than only one or two long sessions.
If you want to improve more rapidly or advance to higher levels of tennis, you will need to increase the frequency and length of your sessions.
Age Considerations
Tennis can be hard on your joints, especially when you get to be over 40. As you get older, you may need to decrease the amount of time you play and how often.
For people under 30, three to four times a week is a good amount. However, once you reach 30, lowering that number to two to three times a week will prevent injury. For people over 50, don't play competitively more than twice a week.
How Much Tennis Should A 10-Year-Old Play?
A ten-year-old is considered a junior tennis player. Future Sports Academies recommends one-hour sessions three to four times a week to help junior players between the ages of nine and eleven.
It is important to remember that children in this age group do not yet have fully developed bodies and have a lot going on developmentally. For this reason, tennis shouldn't be their primary focus. They should be exposed to other sports at about a 70 to 30 percent ratio, where 70 percent is tennis, and 30 percent is other sports.
Following this will help them fully develop all their other muscle groups and gain athletic ability in other sports. This will help their muscles be strengthened and trained sufficiently for their development.
Are Tennis Lessons Worth It?
Whether lessons are worth it or not tends to be a personal decision. If you are serious about tennis and want to learn the game, then they are worth it. For someone who only plays for fun occasionally, the price may not be worth it.
However, if you genuinely want to learn the ins and outs of the game, it will be worth it. For someone who wants to improve their game and level up, private lessons are invaluable. A private instructor will be able to point out where you are making mistakes and give personalized advice to help you play better.
Why Am I Not Getting Better At Tennis?
If you have played for a while and find that you are no longer advancing, there are a few common reasons that you can correct. These reasons are a lack of practice, incorrect techniques, and a lack of coordination.
As with anything in life, if you don't practice, you won't get better. If you are practicing and finding you aren't getting better, it might be your technique. To fix your technique, seek out professional coaching.
However, if you are practicing a lot and seeing a coach, you may not have the physical ability to play better. This commonly happens in older players. If this is the case, you can condition your body but may need to accept that you will only ever make minor improvements due to your physical limitations.
Closing Thoughts
How many tennis lessons you need depends heavily on your physical ability and what level you want to play at. As you climb ranks, you need more practice and lessons to improve. Your age and physical ability determine how often you should practice.
If you found this article informative, click below to explore other posts on this blog:
